https://www.sra.org.uk/consumers/instructing/your-right-to-complain

COMPLAINTS HANDLING POLICY

BS Solicitors Ltd t/a Briton Solicitors itself on its high level of client care. We welcome feedback from all our clients if they feel improvements can be made in the service we provide. Any feedback should be sent to
info@britonsolicitors.co.uk and riz@britonsolicitors.co.uk (Choudhry Sulehria) at first instance.


We very much hope that a complaint will not arise however it you feel you have cause for complaint, please contact the partner/case worker with conduct or the partner/case worker supervising your matter. Please refer to your initial instructions email for confirmation of the partner/case worker supervising your matter.

Receipt of a complaint will trigger our complaints handling procedure:

Within 7 Working Days:

We will record your complaint in our central register and open a file for your complaint. You will receive a letter acknowledging your complaint. This may ask you to confirm or explain the details of your complaint. We will let you know who will be dealing with your complaint and provide a written copy of our complaint-handling policy.

Within 21 Working Days:

We will also acknowledge your reply and confirm what will happen next. We will then start to investigate your complaint. This may involve one or more of the following steps:

  • If your contact partner/case worker acted for you, he or she will consider your complaint. The partner will then invite you to a meeting to discuss the matter in the hope that your complaint may be resolved.
  • If someone else acted for you, the supervising partner will ask them to provide a reply to your complaint. The partner will then examine their reply and the information in your complaint file. He or she may also speak to the person who acted for you. You will be invited to a meeting with the solicitor who has acted for you and, if necessary, the supervising partner. You will receive written confirmation of the outcome of the meeting and any solutions agreed within three days of that meeting.
Within 28 Working Days:

In the event that you do not wish to have a meeting to resolve your complaint or it is not possible, you will receive a full written response to your complaint. This will include proposals to resolve the complaint.

Review of the Decision:

If you are still not satisfied, you should let your contact partner know. They will then arrange a review of the complaint.The review may take place in one of the following ways:

  • Your contact Partner will review the decision themselves within 14 days
  • Your contact Partner will arrange for someone who is not connected with the complaint or review the decision within 14 days.
  • Your contact Partner will ask the Law Society or another local firm of solicitors to review your complaint. They will let you know how long this process will take.
  • Your contact Partner will invite you to agree to independent mediation and will let you know how long this will take.

The contact partner will write to you within 14 days of receiving a request for a review confirming their final position on your complaint and explaining their reasons. If you are still not satisfied, you may contact the Legal Ombudsman about your complaint.

SRA COMPLAINT INFORMATION:

If you are not satisfied with the behavior of the Solicitor, you may file a formal complaint at the website of the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA). The procedure can be found at:

https://www.sra.org.uk/consumers/instructing/your-right-to-complain/

THE LEGAL OMBUDSMAN

From 1 April 2023, the time limits for referring a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman will be not later than:

  • one year from the date of the act or omission being complained about; or
  • one year from the date when the complainant should have realized that there was cause for complaint.

The Legal Ombudsman will retain the ability to apply Rule 4.7, which allows an Ombudsman to exercise discretion to extend the 1-year time limit for specific customers if, on the evidence, it was fair and reasonable to do so.
The communication of the change to time limits is key and it will be important that the communication service providers provide to their clients is amended from 1 April 2023 to reflect the new time limits. This will include information published on service providers websites as well as any signposting or guidance document providers may use which outline when a complaint can be taken to the Ombudsman. The Legal Ombudsman will also ensure that information and guidance on time limits is clear and accessible through all of its customer channels.

For Further Information to Contact The Legal Ombudsman:

https://www.legalombudsman.org.uk/contact-us/

Address: PO Box 6167, Slough, SL1 0EH 

Telephone: 0300 555 0333